Music festival for Llanymynech

Llanymynech is staging its first ever Folk Music Festival with a weekend of music planned for August 16-17.

Taking place across the whole village and Heritage Area, Llanymynech will bring together music and dance, songs and storytelling from both sides of the English/Welsh border, with top performers and practitioners confirmed, both local and from further afield.

The event begins on the Friday evening in the village hall with a concert. The first half of the evening will feature the excellent trio of Michelle Soinne (vocals and concertina), John Neilson (vocals, cittern, and accordion) and Meri Lawes (guitar). The group will play a selection of largely English music including a number of Shropshire numbers. The second half of the concert is an opportunity to hear the three piece Triawd from North Wales. Triawd consists of two of Wales finest fiddle players, Stephen Rees and Huw Roberts, accompanied by Huw's very talented son Sion on guitar and cajon. The three of them gave a jaw dropping performance at the Tegeingl festival in Mold last year and were the obvious choice to represent Wales at this year’s Folk Weekend.

The Saturday is a mix of music, song, dance, and storytelling workshops, with a Welsh dance display at lunchtime and a barn dance/twmpath led by the Tanat Dancers in the evening.

There are workshops on English tunes, English folk song, Welsh tunes, clogging and folk dance, and storytelling. There are also two workshops led by Vagabondi Puppets, to create a giant lion and dragon to be paraded up the border on Sunday morning. The workshops are open to all Folk Weekend ticket holders, both adults and children.

There will be informal tune sessions and singarounds going on in the local pubs during the course of the weekend, so plenty of opportunity for musicians and singers to meet up to swap songs and tunes, or for people to just stop by to listen and soak up the atmosphere.

Sunday starts with a West Gallery music based service in the local church, and is followed by a procession with the lion and the dragon up the border to the Heritage Area for a Grand Village Fete. There will be a selection of art and craft stalls and demonstrations at the fete as well as more performances. The Shropshire traditional music trio, Bartram, Brookes and Weatherall will play on the stable block stage and there will be a full performance by Vagabondi Puppets during the course of the afternoon.

Llanymynech Folk Weekend promises to be a superb event for all, young and old, adults and children alike.

Full details of the Llanymynech Folk Weekend can be found at www.llanymynechfolk.org.uk where tickets may also be bought. Ticket numbers are limited due to venue sizes so buying early is recommended.

More information may also be had by emailing enquiries@llanymynechfolk.org.uk.